Automatic pressure-regulator.



No. 690,55; P a t ented Ian. 7,. I902.

A. s. comsTock. AUTOMATIC PRESSURE REGULATOR.

- A limion' filed Jan. 24, 1901. A (No Mcidel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

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i i m Patented lan. 7, I902.

v -S.- COMSTQCK. AUTOMATIC PRESSURE BEGULATOR.

(Application filqd. Ja 24; 19b1.

v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALPHONSO S. COMSTOCK, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC PRESSURE-REGULATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,51 5, dated January7, 1902.

ApplicationEfiled January 24, 1901'. Serial No. 44,624.; (No model.)

-ful Improvements in Automatic Pressure- Regulators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic pressure-regulatorsfor air-pumps in which an electric motor is used either to furnish powerfor the pump or to control the transmission of power to the pump.

' The object of my invention is to provide a sensitive, simple,positive, and quick-acting automatic regulator which shall be capable ofadjustment, so .as to maintain air-pressure in a tank, reservoir, orother air-receptacle, within a narrow range of a predetermined pressure,and also to provide such a regulator which shall be capable of rapidadjustment, so as to raise or lower the point at which pressure shall bemaintained.

Another object of my invention is to provide such a regulator in which"the electric circuit shall be quickly and sharply established andbroken, so as to prevent sparking and heating.

These and such other objects are attained by the devices illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective View of myinn- Fig. 2 is a vertical view,

proved regulator. partly in section. Fig. 3 is an elevation'of that partof my device above the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail plan viewof my regulating-spring, screw and yoke, and connections. Fig. 5 is adetail view, partly in section, of my circuit-closing ring and adjacentparts. Fig. 6 is a plan view of my switchblock and connection, and Fig.7 is a vertical sectional view showing the switch thrown open.

Like letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figuresof the drawings.

Referring by letter to the accompanying drawings, A B are the lower andupper halves of a casing, between which is secured a dia-' phragm C,which extends across and divides a diaphragm-chamber'D in a mann or wellunderstood. The lower half of the diaphragmchamber connects through theport a with any com pressed-air receptacle in which pressure is soughtto be maintained and to which compressed air is supplied by anair-compressoror air-pump. (Not shown.) The upper half of thediaphragm-casing is provided with a roller 6 to rovide anantifriction-bearin" for p p a the arm f.

G is a vertical rod which may be conveniently and adjustably stepped ina socket in 'the upper half B ot the diaphragm-casing and securedtherein by a suitable locking-screw g. This rod Gr serves as a standardto which other parts of my device may be adjustably attached in themanner hereinafter set forth.

F is a lever having ashort armf andavertical longarm f. and pivoted at fto a lug formed upon the upper half B of the diaphragm casing. In mypreferred construction the lever F is held in its normal position by aspring H, which is attached at one end to the lever F and at the otherend to a tension-screw h, which passes freely through a horizontalopening in the yoke I,which passes around the screw h, thespring H, andthe lever F and is secured to the rod Gr, after which it is fittedbyalocking-screwt'. The tensionscrew it is fitted with a thumb-nut h,which is screw-threaded on the end of said screw, which projects throughthe yoke I. By the manipulation of this thumb-nut the tension exerted bythe spring H may be increased or' decreased at will.

Upon the rod Gand above the yoke Iis ad- .justably mounted andsecured asecond yoke J, the opposite arms of which, respectively,

and P in such a manner as to make electrical contact with thebinding-posts o and p, respectively.

Through a perforation in the upper end of the yoke K is fitted abutton-head screw 7r. I first flatten the head of this screwsubstantially in a plane with the body of the screw, and into atransverse perforation therein I fit one end of the stop device L, whichshould then be securely brazed into the perforation in the head of thescrew 7t. I also provide the flattened head of the screw with aperforation for receiving one end of a coil-spring Q, the other end ofwhich is attached to the upper end of the long arm on the lever F. Ialso prefer to braze the screw k to the yoke K at the point where thescrew 70 passes through the perforation in the upper end of the yoke K.The projecting part of the stop device L has free play through avertical slot g in the rod G and is provided at its outer end with anadjusting-nut Z and a jam-nut Z.

The screw 7c is fittedwith a thimble R of insulating material. The upperpart of this thimble is reduced, thereby providing a shoulder. Over thisreduced portion of the thimble is fitted a switch-ring S, of copper orother metal, affording a suitable electrical conductor. This ring restsupon the shoulder o of the thimble R and is securely held in place bythe ring or washer T of insulating material, which is slipped over thescrew 70 and abuts against the upper ends of the thimble R and theswitch-ring S. A nut U is screwed upon the upper end of the screw 70 andsecurely locks the parts in position.

The switch-block is interposed in an electric circt1it,which controlsthe operation of the air-pump. This may be either the circuit from adynamo to an electric motor running the air-pump or a circuitcontrolling the operation of a belt-shifting or similar device, by meansof which the compression of air may be started and stopped.

The operation of my device is as follows: The degree of pressure to bemaintained in the compressed-air receiver having been determined, thedevice is set by tightening the thumb-nut h upon the tension-screw huntil the tension of the spring H, which must be overcome byair-pressure upon the diaphragm 0, corresponds with the pressure whichis to be maintained in the pressure-chamber. The apparatus is now in itsnormal position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the circuit connecting withthe binding-posts o continuing through the electrode 0, the switch-ringS, the electrode P, and the binding-posts p and is insulated from allother parts of my apparatus by the switch-block N, the thimble R, andthe washer or ring K. While the apparatus is in this position, the pumpor air-compressor supplies compressed air to the air-receiver andcontinues in full operation until the pressure in the air-receiver, andso on the under side of the diaphragm-chamber D,which is in opencommunication with the air-receiver, exceeds the predetermined point.Thereupon the airpressure upon the under side of the diaphragm G willlift the diaphragm (J and the head of the stem E restin g thereon. Thisof course will simultaneously move the short armfof the lever F in anupward direction and swing the long arm f of the lever F toward the rodG and against the tension of the spring H. As thelong armf' is swung inthe direction of the rod G it carries the lower end of the spring Q withit. The spring Q being under tension holds the yoke K and the partsmounted thereon in their forward normal position until as the long arm7" of the lever F is swung backward it carries the lower end of thespring Q past the axis of the pivots j, by which the yoke-K is securedto the yoke J. As soon as the line of tension from the lower end of thescrew 71; through the spring Q to the upper end of the lever F passesthe axis of these pivots the spring Q snaps the yoke K into the positionshown inFig. 7, thus carrying the switchring S back against theswitch-block N and out of contact with the electrodes 0 1?, therebybreaking the circuit and stopping the aircompressor. The parts willremain in this position with the circuit broken so long as the pressureagainst the under side of the diaphragm 0 continues to be sufficient toovercome the tension of the spring H. As soon, however, as suchair-pressure becomes less than such spring tension the spring will drawthe long arm f of the lever F away from the rod G, the. lower end of thespring Q will be carried back and toward its normal position and as soonas the line of tension through the spring Q passes in front of the axisof the pivots j the tension exerted by the spring Q will snap the yoke Kto its original position and will of course snap the switch-ring S intoposition between the spring electrodes 0 P, thereby reestablishing thecircuit and restarting the air-compressor. The stop device limits theforward movement of the yoke K, so that while the spring Q will snap theswitchringS into contact with the spring-electrodes and will firmly holdthe switch-ring in such contact it cannot carry the switch-ring past theelectrodes and so out of contact in that direction.

It will be noted that my device will invariably make and break thecircuit with a sudden quick snap, thereby avoiding all the disadvantageswhich accompany a gradual making and breaking of the circuit in suchdevices. Further, while I am aware that the precise construction of mydevice may be with proper relation to each other, and this.

is facilitated in my preferred construction by my adj ustably mountingof the various parts upon the rod G. While I have shown the yokes I andJ and the switch-block N adj ustably mounted upon the rod G and ,havealso shown the stop device L as provided with an adjusting-nut, it isnot intended that in the ordinary use of the device such adjustmentsshall be used; but they are merely shown as alfording a convenientmethod of assembling the parts and for readily adjusting them withrelation to each other in the first instance. If this is properly done,no further. adjustments need. ordinarily be made during. the life of thedevice, except as parts may be repaired and replaced from time to time.It is also obvious that with my construction any faulty or damaged partsmay be removed and replaced without requiring any especial skill in sodoing.

It will be observed that in my device I have produced apressure-regulator which is quite compact and entirely. self containedand which may be furnished completely assembled, so that all that isnecessary to put it in service in connection with any air-compressor isto couple it at A with any convenient source of pump-pressure and tointerpose the switch in the electric circuit by suitable connectionswith the binding-posts 0 19.

Various modifications may be made in my device, such as substitutingamovable weight upon a graduated lever for the adjustable tensionspringand attachments shown or by using any of the well-known forms ofadjustable spring-controlled diaphragms; but such modifications andothers which will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in thisart do not constitute a departure from the spirit of my invention andare contemplated thereby.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a pressure-regulator, the combination with a diaphragm exposed topump-pressure, of a lever actuated by said diaphragm, an electricswitch, a movable support for said switch, an adjustable mounting forsaid support, and a yielding connection between said lever and saidswitch-support, substantially as described.

2. In a pressure-regulator, the combination with a diaphragm exposed topump-pressure, of a lever actuated by said diaphragm, an electricswitch, a movable support for said switch, an adjustable mount for saidswitchsupport, a tension-spring attached to said lever and to saidswitch-support, and means fornormally holding said lever againstpumppressure, substantially as described.

3. In a pressure-regulator, the combination with a diaphragm exposed topump-pressure, of a lever operated by said diaphragm, a supporting-rod,a switch-block mounted upon said supporting-rod, a yoke mounted uponsaid supporting-rod, a switch-support movably attached to said yoke andcarrying a switch adapted to codperate with electrodes mounted upon saidswitch-block to open and close an electric circuit, and a yieldingconnection between said lever and said switchsupport, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a pressure-regulator, the combination with a diaphragm exposed topump-pressure, of a lever operated by said diaphragm, a supporting-rod,a switch-block mounted upon said supporting-rod, a yoke mounted uponsaid supporting-rod, a switch-support movably attached to said yoke andcarrying a switch adapted to cooperate with electrodes mounted upon saidswitch-block to open and close an electric circuit,'a yieldingconnection between said lever and said switch-support, and a stop tolimit the forward movement of said switch, substantially as described.

5. In a pressure-regulator, the combination with a diaphragm-casingcontaining a diaphragm exposed to pump-pressure, of alever actuated bythe movement of said diaphragm, means for normally holding said leveragainst pump-pressure, a rod attached to said diaphragm-casing, aswitch-block mounted upon said rod, a yoke mounted upon saidsupporting-rod, a switch-support movably attached to said yoke andcarrying a switch adapted to cooperate with electrodes mounted upon saidswitch-block to open and close an elec tric circuit, a yieldingconnection between said lever and said switch-support,-'and a stop tolimit the forward movement of said switch,

